


Succession

by wynnebat



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Temporary Character Death, Gen, Human Alpha Stiles Stilinski, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 03:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13068372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynnebat/pseuds/wynnebat
Summary: When his mother died, Stiles inherited her vast collection of cookbooks and travel journals. This time it's something very different.





	Succession

It looks like even werewolves can’t survive a bullet to the brain, Stiles thinks, staring down at Peter’s corpse. Stiles is left just standing there with the Molotov cocktail in his hands that he didn’t even get to use. Which… is probably for the best considering that setting a burn victim on fire was a bit much, even for him. It’s all so fucking ironic. Yet another Hale killed by an Argent, and it’s like the cycle just won’t stop, even if Chris did it to protect his daughter and Peter’s been paving his own road to hell for weeks. Most of him is viciously satisfied with the fact that Peter can’t ever hurt his best friend again. A small part of him... A small part of him thinks of the base want in Peter’s eyes, of the way he’d gripped his wrist, of the way he’d been left unhurt. There had been rationality somewhere inside Peter’s mind, even half mad as he’d been. There had still been something and now it’s been snuffed out and Peter’s just one more corpse for Beacon Hills’ ever-expanding graveyard.

By the time Stiles realizes he’s been staring at Peter’s still-open blue eyes for too long, the only people left are himself, Derek, and Scott. Stiles takes a hasty step back as Derek wolfs out, but Derek isn’t even looking at him. He’s glaring down at Peter’s corpse as if he’s hoping the the bullet wound will start healing. But Peter’s pretty damn dead.

“I’m not an alpha,” Derek growls, sounding not thrilled at all with the proceedings. “Scott, do you feel any different?”

“No, should I?”

“Transform. I need to see you eyes.”

“I’m not going to do whatever—”

“Just do it, this is important,” Derek huffs, turning human again.

Scott shares a glance with Stiles, but he does as asked. To Stiles’ eyes, he doesn’t look any different. It looks like Derek is seeing the same thing by the way he starts cursing.

“So what was supposed to happen?” Stiles asks. “I get that you can become an alpha after killing one and that maybe Scott could’ve become human after killing the alpha that turned him, but what happens when a regular human kills an alpha?”

“The power should have transferred to whichever pack member Peter saw the most worthy. Peter didn’t have a proper pack, but we’re the only two werewolves in Beacon Hills and he has a connection to both of us. I thought that if anyone, it would’ve been one of us, but Peter must have found a way to die with the power,” Derek says, scowling down at the body. “I’ve never heard of it being done.”

“Well, he does have a talent for exceeding our worst expectations,” Stiles replies, trying to lessen the tension he feels appearing between the two werewolves. It looks like Derek had been pretty set on becoming an alpha. Stiles can’t say he’s all that upset about it, considering the only alpha he knows of had killed a bunch of people and attacked high schoolers. He doesn’t exactly trust Derek’s good judgment, either. “Did, I meant. Past tense.”

But there’s nothing they can really do, so he and Scott end up walking back to their homes. There’s so much to say, but Stiles is too numb with fading adrenaline to talk (which is huge, considering Stiles used to be able to talk about anything) and it looks like Scott would rather brood, too. They say their goodbyes at the fork that separates their streets. Once Stiles is safe behind a locked door, he lets out a deep breath and tries to feel some kind of relief. It doesn’t come. Peter may be dead, but Peter’s only the tip of the iceberg, he thinks. Derek isn’t leaving, the Argents are staying put, and there’s a whole host of things to worry about. At least Scott isn’t trying to kill anyone anymore.

On the way to his room, Stiles stops at the mirror at the bottom of the stairs. There’s a streak of dirt to the side of his face and soot in his hair. That’s what you get when you deal with broody werewolves who can’t seem to leave the burned up mess of their former home alone. Otherwise, Stiles looks the same, if tireder than he’s been in a while. Without thinking about what he’s doing, Stiles closes his eyes for a long moment.

When Stiles opens them again, he sees the alpha-red that Derek had been so eagerly searching for.

Well, shit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm also on tumblr as @[crownwithoutstones](https://crownwithoutstones.tumblr.com/).


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